College Presidential Search continues

John Palmer Senior Editor

The search for the tenth president of the College is underway as the Presidential Search Committee begins to review applications for the position of Vassar’s chief. The committee, comprised of seven trustees, five faculty members, and two students, spent the summer creating a booklet to mail to potential candidates, and summarizing Vassar’s mission.

With the help of Shelley Weiss Storbeck, the Managing Director at A.T. Kearney Education Practice, and senior administrative support of Vice President for Development Kathy Baer, the Committee has begun organizing the applications, and the committee hopes to present a candidate to the Board of Trustees next year.

The new informational packet for nominees and candidates was created and edited over the summer, and mailed to applicants and potential nominees.

Dan Ross ’06, one of the two students on the committee, said the experience of working with the committee is “fascinating, getting a different perspective of how the College works.” Although most students know current President Fran Fergusson, much of the work of the president takes place behind the scenes, dealing with institutional issues.

Such behind-the-scenes presidential responsibilities include chairing Vassar’s Priorities and Planning Committee and working with the Development Office to create and direct capital campaigns to ensure Vassar’s fiscal well-being. The president presides over monthly faculty meetings, monthly meetings with members of the administration, and gatherings with students. The next president will face an additional challenge of overseeing Vassar’s next accreditation review in 2008.

The document lays out a number of challenges the new president must be ready to face including the ability to “communicate the excellence of the College to a wide audience,” “evaluate carefully the physical requirements for teaching the sciences, which will involve consideration and planning of a new science facility,” and “further Vassar’s continuing commitment to a fully diverse community.”

The two student representatives on the Search Committee, Ross and Walter Padilla ’07, have held three meetings open for student input and discussion. The most recent of these meetings was held Sept. 14, and approximately twelve students showed up to offer their opinions. Among the topics discussed by the student participants were the ideal occupation of the candidate, the hiring of tenured professors, and the image of Vassar in the popular media, among others.